GAMSAT March 2021 Results

ok...so that jump in points was pretty gut wrenching, especially to all those on 56/57 hanging on for a UL offer.

However, I would suggest to all those UL hopeful 56/57’ers, move back from the window ledge, the situation I believe is not so completely despairing as it might look. Why ?

1. It is more than likely the current UL ‘offeree’s’ include a verge large cohort of those from the greater Dublin area who are unbelievably (to themselves anyway) sitting on 61,60,59,58 with only UL as an option!

It is very likely there will be a large number of ‘turn downs’ from this large cohort for the following reasons -

a. Elements of this group will only contemplate studying med through TCD,UCD, and RCSI.

b. Elements of this group just won’t consider travel away from the Dublin area to study med.

c. Elements of this group just won’t be able to afford the costs of studying away from home base.

2 Derry : UL offerees also sitting also on an offer from Derry (this being the first year ever this situation arises) will be sticking with their Derry offer- (this could be quite a few places).

3 it may only be here say - but I am hearing that the increase in applicants this year may include quite a few from persons who only applied because the Covid situation gave them time and reason to test their ability to get into med. many of these are successful applicants who don’t really have full intentions to peruse it this year.

The above 3 (good ?) reasons will I believe (hope) drive the later rounds down to all 57’ers and probably a fistful of 56’ers.

Now please, somebody close that window, I’ve changed my mind. I’m going to wait a bit longer and see how this plays out

Thanks so much for this Beggerboy! I really hope you are right. The thought of sitting the GAMSAT again in a few weeks is actually soul destroying 😭

AoifeK1995, I rang and they won’t give that info. No idea or way to know if we are next in line, or 40 people ahead waiting to get an offer

I hope you’re right. I manifest that the points will fall at least by one! So many people were hard done by. Just crazy really😢 have to think also, what’s for you won’t pass you!

So it was 56* last year and I didn't get it first round but got it a few days later. From hearing from other people, all the 56's got offers in the end and some people on 55 got in. I didn't know anyone personally but my friend knew someone who got in on 55 so its definitely possible. Might just depend on how many people who were banking on Dublin this year and didn't get it decide to reapply next year. I was gonna do that last year but glad I just accepted now! Do you need it to drop much? It's so annoying the way you can just be lucky one year depending on the demand etc

@NOG92 I’m in the exact same position as you and I feel so deflated too. Wishing I had registered for Sept sitting😭

Really hope this proves to be true. I definitely think there'll be a good few candidates who'll reject their offer for UL, it's just knowing how many. The waiting is the worst part 🙄 I've my family's heads done in listening to me...my Mum has that many candles lit for me out kitchen resembles Knock shrine 🙈😂😂😂

You can find out your random number by emailing the Cao !

The hero we need

About 2 to 3 weeks ago UL sent an email out to those whose Gamsat was less than 55 advising them they would not be considered eligible because out the current increase in numbers.

All I’m saying is UL would surely know from previous experience how far they may have to row back in later rounds from the 58* cut-off to fill all spots. Knocking out only those on 54 or below seems ultra conservative.

I’m still betting on some of the 56’s being called up.

I may risk as though I’m trying to come across as some expert here - that I’m am absolutely not. However anybody with a modicum of numerical analysis and probability skills (together with an understanding of the Dublin mindset) is I believe just as likely to arrive as the conclusions I have drawn above.

As to your - will 60 be good enough for UCC. That I believe is a more difficult one than say - will all the 57’s getting UL.

UCC having only 40 places - the second round chances are going to be made up of from the 9/10 category I referred to above plus the Dublin gang with a current UCC offer who refuse to go down to Cork. I suspect the refusal to go to Cork might be small enough as UCC is really respected and uses the traditional teaching method. I could be corrected here but might there also be mature entrants in Dublin (rcsi/ucd) who also entered the gam route. if they were to be successful at the gam route but decide on sticking with their mature entry offer that also might create another trickledown to cork places.

it’s a hard call. But I would definitely say in all probability most 60’s will get their UCC offer.

My main hope is the people who will be going to Derry but still have got and offer through the cao .. hopefully there might be a few of those to bump us all up ..

Does anyone know we’re there many people sitting on 61 who didn’t get an offer from UCC?

I didn’t think you could apply for both graduate and mature the same year? Is this not true?

You can definitely do both! They have different course codes, I applied for both last year but didn't get very far with my mature entry route!

My random number for UL is 390 and I'm on 56, so no idea what that actually means 😅

I emailed the CAO actually :) you just fill in the queries submission on their website, they got back to me within 24 hours.

Anyone else here going to ucc or know anyone that is?

I am!

Is anybody who got a place in Derry not accepting it?

Yeah I'm also for UCC, looking forward to it! And have turned down a place in Derry

This is my final stab at to how it might all play out... in particular for those waiting a UL place.

It been accepted that UL being last in the selection chain - means every new place opening up in Dublin and Cork eventually eventually trickles down to a new place in UL.

Workings -

1 Calculate new places that might materialise in Dublin. - 10

We can make a stab at this from estimating the total new places that might appear over rounds 1 and round 2 for UCD and RCSI.

Again, to rehash, these will be persons who have Dublin offers but decide to defer take up until next year, not to pursue med at all or encounter difficulties with their funding. UCD 77 places RCSI 30- Total 107 places. I think a reasonable (conservative) guess here might be a total of 10 places over the next 2 rounds.

That`s just 9.3% of the O round offers. - I dont think its high - as I think these 10 places might also easily be helped by the ´covid factor´. i.e. the massive increase in applicants this year largely influenced by entrants who decided to study and sit gamsat because there was not a whole else going on. An ideal time to try your hand even if you were not fully committed to taking up the offer this year. (particularly from the high 65+ candidates as they can safely bank it until next year)

2 Calculate new places that might materialise in Cork - 2

For UCC - you can only count as new places those which might come about from persons who had got UCC as their 1st preference - and then deciding not to pursue for same reasons above in Dublin and wont go to UL either. Lets say 15-18 of those 30 UCC offers are with Cork people. Likely their might only be 1 or 2 from here who may pass UCC place up.

3 Calculate numbers from Greater the Dublin areas and beyond who are on the an existing UL and Cork offer - but will turn down because reasons already given in earlier post. - 21

I had this at 23 - 28. I know people might be sceptical of this but even if you tone it down to 30% of the 70 persons - you still get 21 places. I think its very reasonable to assume the turn down from this group is likely to be much higher this year as it will entirely made up of person with 61 - 60 -59 -58. These are scores mostly from Dublin based people who will believe it should get them into Dublin/UCC any other year.

4 Calculate the Derry Factor - 10

This is the reason I revisited the calculation. On a re- I think, I believe this is what throws the monkey wrench into the works. I was far too conservative on this earlier. Derry has 70 places. However - it has a low entry point - 54. If we use the score of 58 - this has a 45th percentile for the March sitting per Acer. This translates into a max of only 39 persons with a Derry offer would also qualifying for a CAO offer. It must be reasonable to assume at least half those with a Derry offer would have also sat the CAO. This being so, as many as 20 with Derry Offers also hold a CAO offer. We can then say of these 20 only half need give up their CAO offer stay with their Derry offer. This gives us 10 new places. This might even be higher. Derry is so much a cheaper option and the applicants to Derry are much more likely to be from the northern / 6 county area. So Derry will definitley be their 1st pref.

The above gives up a total of (10+2+21+10) 43 places so far.

Next

5 Calculate the unallocated places for those stuck at 62 for UCD. - Minus 5 places

Those on the wrong side of the UCD 62* lottery needs to be calculated - as these places need to be subtracted from the above. Using a median score of 59 per Acer - I would calculate the distribution number for persons at each gamsat point at 15 over the 242 offers made. Therefore again been prudent ,lets say as many as 10 persons with 62 are in for UCD. Assuming again only half of these 10 have been given a place already with their 62 then that leaves 5 more. This 5 needs to be subtracted from the above 43 places as the first 5 openings wont trickle down.

I am going to even ignore the successful Mature Students for (RCSI 15 places and TCD/UCD 9 or 10) who may also applied for grad entry and perhaps got UCC or UL. Likelihood the Matures in Dublin would stick with their Dublin mature offer than move down to Cork/UL. But as I say, let ignore this as it may be small if any although I believe there is at least 1.

So that nets out my calculation - Conclusion : there may likely to be 38 places at least that will rotate into new offers at UL.

57 and 58 awaitng UL

There is already a poll showing 11 persons are waiting on 58 for UL place and 14 persons waiting on 57. That`s only a total of 25 so far. I don`t believe this group (57 +58) can go much can go much higher than a total of 30 - (the mean distribution for each gamsat point I would calculate at 15 persons per point when using 242 places and using gamsat scores ranging from 58 to 72). With 38 places there is therefore plenty of room for all the 57 and 58`in UL.

56 awaiting UL

So that still leaves at least (38-30) 8 places for those on 56 plus any turn downs from the 57 and 58`s.

So I guess those on 56 with a random number above 300 might also be safe - if the above stands up.

If you are correct, I will literally hail you as the messiah

Random numbers are only used when there are more applicants on the same points then there is places available. i.e if there are 4 places available but 10 applicants on the same points. The 4 people with the highest random numbers on the same points will be offered places before the other 6. With regards to your situation, if the points were to drop to 56, you would be highly likely to be offered as your random number is very close to the highest random number available (999). Nobody knows what will happen with the points as its dictated by supply and demand. Its honestly just a waiting game, however painful it is.

Hey up Kieran

Yeah sure...my analysis is obviously speculative and not intended to be read as gospel.

I`ve just laid out my rationale to what may I believe maybe a very plausible outcome. Feel free to pick it apart where you think it it verges on the ridiculous ..as I say, it s just some (thoughtful) assumptions put together and posted to amuse. I wont be offended whatever you might think.

Hi Tacadh, this is Jesus here. Just like water into wine, that 952 will with almost certain probability, turn your 56 into a 57. Albeit the smallest man in the 57 family.

Hi Gamesatter, having a high number of persons on the same points (say well over 20) is just down right unlucky. When you spread 242 places over a gamsat point range of say 55 to mid 70`s (say 75 .. there are a even few smart cookies around town probably popping 75+) then then mean distribution is always likely to be below 20 persons per gamsat point. But hey, you gotta accept the pattern of the distribution may not always follow the law of probability.

Maybe for those negatively effected by my musings I should should apologise as they were not intended to give you a false high. Just trying to breakdown a very cloudy picture rather than remain in state of depression about things.

Cheers guys !